The present invention relates generally to furniture, and more particularly to a glide arrangement for an article of furniture such as a chair, in which the glide arrangement is configured for connection to a tubular support associated with the article of furniture.
There is a sizable and constant demand for rugged, comfortable and attractive utility chairs of the type used in schools, auditoriums, convention centers, hotels and the like. In an educational setting, it is common for such a chair to have a frame that supports a desktop or worksurface, to form a desk that may be used in a classroom or the like. These types of chairs are subjected to continuous and rigorous use. Typically, the frame for a chair of this type includes a tubular metal member that is bent into a desired configuration, which often includes a section that is adapted to rest on a support surface such as a floor. Typically, casters or glides are employed to permit the article of furniture to be slid and thus shifted from place to place without marring or excessively wearing the finish or surface of the floor.
Certain known types of glide arrangements are attached to the tubular frame of a chair or the like using rivets, screws or the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,897 discloses a certain known chair construction employing a glide arrangement that includes fastener glides fastened to runners of the chair by means of screws. While this type of glide arrangement functions satisfactorily to support the chair frame above a support surface such as a floor, it entails certain drawbacks in assembly and operation. For example, a glide of this type utilizes several components, which must be stocked separately and which require several steps in order to assemble the glide to the frame. In addition, the use of a screw or other fastener results in the head of the screw or other fastener becoming exposed as the surrounding areas of the glide wear away after extended periods of use. This causes the screw or fastener head to scratch or mar the floor or other surface during movement of the chair.
There thus exists a need for a glide arrangement that simplifies the construction and assembly of the glide to the article of furniture without sacrificing protection of the floor surface, and which prevents exposure of a fastener head in order to eliminate the potential for the glide to scratch the floor surface, even after extended usage.